Bullet
by Iggy Lovechild
Summary: Rufus Shinra is sent to Wutai on a diplomatic mission along with hotshot young Turk, Reno. Will assassins be waiting as rumours persist?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to Square/Enix and were created by Nomura_

**~I~**

Rufus Shinra's office in Junon had a gorgeous view of the ocean. He rarely enjoyed it though, which was a damned shame. Today he had a meeting with Tseng about his impending mission in Wutai. A hard copy file was spread across his desk, including a regretfully grainy picture of the most stunning young man Rufus had ever seen.

Rufus skimmed his personnel file and arched his eyebrows, both intrigued and admittedly impressed. "I remember hearing about him a couple years ago," Rufus remarked idly, "Is it true that he demanded training to become a Turk in exchange for the information he had?"

Tseng nodded, "Yes. I was in fact the one who spoke with him after his capture by Rude. He claimed that he had joined one of the gangs in order to get close to the mob and glean sensitive information on its inner workings. He wanted to get caught so he could pass it onto the company."

"Well, I must say that he sounds like a fascinating character, but do you think he can handle this sort of mission? There will almost certainly be an assassination attempt, considering the tenuous peace between the company and Wutai."

"He's a very competent combatant, sir," Tseng replied, "If you'll refer to his scoring on the final-"

Rufus made an annoyed sound and waved a slightly dismissive hand. "I can see that, but you know I'd much rather see for myself. Is there any way that I can get the surveillance tapes?"

"Of course."

Rufus lingered over the file, his eyes frequently settling on the picture of him. He was certainly attractive. Rufus could easily imagine him standing by his side as his slick, Turk bodyguard. Of course that was no reason to agree to the assignment but it was tempting.

"Why is he being considered for this mission, Tseng?" Rufus asked, his tone light and expression bland.

There was a long pause and Tseng looked uncomfortable. Rufus frowned deeply and shook his head slowly. Could his father be so predictable?

"Let me guess," Rufus interrupted the silence cooly, "My father isn't taking the death threats seriously."

"It's not that. He's well aware that you can take care of yourself. In his mind he's sending two capable Turks to negotiate."

Rufus signed softly. He couldn't argue with that logic and even felt a glimmer of pride over the compliment, as vague as it was. "Alright, fine. I will trust you even without seeing the tapes, though I would like to see them at some point. Is there anything in particular I should know about Reno that isn't in his dossier?"

Tseng grimaced a little. He seemed reluctant to speak but seemed to know better. Rufus would just continue to press the issue. "He...is very friendly."

Rufus was amused. "Well, that's fine. I don't mind conversation."

"He just has very few boundaries, sir. Should he say something out of line, please don't take it seriously."

Rufus raised an eyebrow at Tseng. He had a feeling that Tseng had just implied that Reno might flirt with him, but maybe it was just wishful thinking. "You know I'm no shrinking violet, Tseng. Should Reno offend me, I'll tell him as much. End of discussion. However if you think it will be a problem..."

In the ensuing silence, Rufus could practically hear the thoughts moving through Tseng's mind. It was as though some deeper plot was at work, and he was trying to decide if it was a good idea to put it into motion. Rufus wanted to ask him, say something about it, but stayed mum. He trusted Tseng, even loved him a little, and decided to let it go.

Eventually Tseng replied with words measured with the utmost care. "I think that you could stand to learn something from one another."

Tseng left him to that little revelation. Rufus wondered what he could have possibly meant by that and if he were referring to professional or personal. Once more his eyes strayed to the picture, and his fingertips lingered over the line of Reno's jaw and the curve of his smirking mouth.

He truly hoped Reno was as good at his job as he was pretty.

XxXxX

Reno skimmed the mission dossier, picking out the most important directives. He really didn't like reading, not because he was stupid but because it had the distinct flaw of not being interactive. Reno preferred talking to people and reading their expressions. The paperwork could claim all it wanted that it was expected to be fairly straight forward body guard work, but he was going into hostile territory with the goddamn president's son. That did not seem straight forward; it seemed like it could present some complications.

He hated to admit it, but he was fucking nervous. Not so much that he was going to be escorting Rufus Shinra to Wutai, but because he was doing it without Rude. It felt weird and he wondered why. He was tempted to call Tseng, but figured that would be a futile effort. The man was crazy good at the fine art of misdirection. He rarely outright told Reno that he wasn't privvy to certain information, he just controlled conversations expertly. If Reno tried to call him about why he was doing this alone, they'd probably end up discussing etiquette when interacting with Rufus or something so ridiculously boring that Reno would do everything in his power to end the conversation quickly.

If he were to be perfectly honest with himself, he was a little nervous to meet Rufus, too. He'd seen him around the office a few times on the rare occasion that he'd come to HQ. Serious as a heart attack was how he thought of him. He never spoke to anyone aside from Tseng and old man Shinra, and created a buzz of anxiety. Rumour held firm that father and son did not see eye to eye about how to run the company. As the story went, Shinra gave Rufus the vice-presidency when he was sixteen, but the constant clashing of ideals eventually led him to assign Rufus permanent residency at Junon.

Everyone seemed to be afraid of him. Reno was intrigued.

"I can hear you thinkin' over there," Rude's voice broke through his meandering thoughts.

Reno glanced over at his partner, who had paused in his own work. Neither of them liked pencil pushing but Rude was slightly more patient with the process.

"Why do you think they're assigning me this mission solo?" Reno asked.

Rude snorted, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"About Rufus."

Reno made an annoyed sound. He hated when Rude toyed with him. "C'mon man. Don't fuck with me."

Rude took off his glasses, which meant serious business, which meant whatever he was about to say was very fucking important. Reno couldn't help but get excited over the prospect of learning a new Shinra secret.

"Listen, no one ain't supposed to know this, but most Turks figure it out anyway. You ever look at the Turks roster?"

"Sure, hasn't everyone?" Reno shrugged.

"You remember that one Turk is identified numerically?"

"Yeah, always figured it was that Valentine guy or somethin'"

"Nah, he's on the list of deceased or missing," Rude shook his head. "That unknown Turk is Rufus fucking Shinra."

Reno's eyes widened. "You're joking! So what is it? Some honorary title?"

"The way I heard it, Rufus trained as a Turk. Not with the collective group or anything, but he went through same as you an' me," Rude explained

"Seriously? I mean...really? The old man let him?" Reno was stunned. Turk training was notoriously dangerous. He just couldn't believe the old man would let his own son go through that.

Rude shrugged, "Heard the president didn't have much choice in the matter. Anyway, I figured it was a pretty smart idea."

Reno thought about it and after a moment, realized it was a pretty clever move. Rufus would no doubt be a target by criminal organizations for assassination or kidnapping. What better way to make it harder for detractors than to make that target among some of the most dangerous men and women in the world?

"Damn," Reno mused, "That's so..."

"Crazy?" Rude suggested.

"No way!" Reno exclaimed, "That's fucking brilliant!"

Rude shook his head, "Whatever you say, man. Just be careful, okay."

Reno rolled his eyes and got up. "Ya worry too much, yo. I'm gonna step out for a smoke."

He left the office he shared with Rude with a bounce in his step. His nerves had been replaced by excitement. Reno couldn't wait to get a moment alone with Rufus so they could talk like a couple of normal guys.

Unbidden, Reno recalled the first time he'd seen Rufus in person. They'd actually passed each other in the hallway, Reno coming from Tseng's office, Rufus on his way there. He'd looked pissed and Reno had given him wide berth, but not without favoring him with a good once over. Reno hadn't been able to help himself. The man was drop-dead gorgeous. He'd be lying if he didn't admit to the shiver of lust he'd experienced at that moment.

Reno sighed softly as he pushed the memory away. It was one thing he hated about being a Turk. His social life was all but shot. He hadn't properly dated anyone in months. There had been that secretary from HR awhile back, but she hadn't been into him so much as she was into dating a Turk. She'd been a good lay at least, until she started getting really kinky. The night she'd tried to get him to fuck her with his EMR was the last straw.

Reno stepped onto the elevator, swiped his keycard, and keyed in the level for the employee commissary. There was a balcony there he liked to smoke on because the view was gorgeous. As the elevator went down, Reno tried to push away the sense of loneliness that sometimes disturbed his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

~II~

Reno's PHS was buzzing in the pocket of his pants, causing him to swear, and struggle with his take-out parcels. He rushed to his apartment's small kitchen, all but tossed the food on the counter, and fumbled around his pocket for the cellular phone. He answered it without seeing the caller ID and hoped whoever was calling wasn't pissed that he'd not been prompt.

"Reno, yo."

"You took some time to answer," The voice that replied was only vaguely familiar. It was cultured, slightly cool, and very fucking sexy. Reno rolled his eyes at the involuntary jolt of desire that made his dick stir. _God,I need to get laid_, He thought irritably.

"Who is this?" Reno asked guardedly.

"Rufus."

Reno's mouth went dry and his pulse skipped a beat or two. "Oh...wow. Sorry. My hands were full. What's up?"

The ensuing silence nearly put Reno into a panic. Had he been too casual? Oh hell, Tseng would have said something classy like, 'To what do I owe this honor?'.

"Nothing. I just wanted to get an idea how you're feeling about working with me tomorrow," Rufus finally replied.

Reno narrowed his eyes. His phrasing had been tricky and he didn't quite know how to answer that. "Not real sure to be honest, sir. Everyone's treatin' it like run of the mill bodyguard duty, but I don't see how that's gonna go down considering I'm escorting you to Wutai. Last I checked they still hate us."

Rufus chuckled softly, a sound that made Reno get just a little bit harder, much to his dismay. "I'm sure it'll be quite dangerous. Do you think you can handle it?"

Reno took his PHS away from his ear for a moment and stared at the caller ID just to make sure he really was talking to Rufus Shinra. Of course it was true, which left him with the concept that he was getting seriously messed with by the president's scorchingly hot son.

"Man, I can handle anything anyone throws at me," Reno shot off boldly, "Don't let the look of me fool ya."

"I'm pleased to hear that," Rufus replied.

"Well I 'm glad you're pleased, Rufus," Reno drawled as he retrieved his cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He needed to calm the fuck down. "Better 'an you bein' disappointed that you're gettin' paired up with the pretty boy slumbrat."

Reno froze halfway to lighting his smoke when he realized what he'd said. Not so much what he'd said but how he'd said it. Shit! He'd been talking to the man like he was Rude or something! Damn, he was gonna get chewed out again for being too informal and this time by the vice-president of the goddamned company!

Rufus didn't chew him out. Instead he laughed and, nevermind the fact that it was one of the sexiest sounds he'd ever heard, it sounded pretty sincere.

"I'll confess to a bit of trepidation," Rufus admitted, "but I've looked over your personnel file quite thoroughly and I must say that it impressed me."

"Seriously?" Reno asked, more than just a little surprised.

"Forgive me for mentioning it, but I'd never had the impression that slum residents could be so...ambitious. My impression was that they were too busy focusing on basic survival."

Reno shrugged, giving himself over to the conversation. If Rufus wanted to shoot the shit, who was he to complain? Anyway, he had a great fucking voice. "No need to apologize, yo. That's pretty much how it is. I just...I wanted to leave a bigger impression on the world."

"Hm," Rufus intoned and Reno imagined him nodding, perhaps smirking with approval, "Well this has all been very enlightening. I'm looking forward to continuing this conversation face to face."

Reno bit his tongue, resisting the urge to flirt. "Sure, sounds great."

"See you soon, Reno," He said his name like a wicked promise.

Reno's mouth was dry again, this time not with nervousness but lust. "Yeah," He breathed, embarrassed by his reaction, "Can't wait."

He ended the call and sighed deeply. While he was glad Rufus had seemed to take a liking to him, he was still a little freaked out. It had been such a strange interaction. Something had changed in his demeanor halfway through the call. Like Rufus had called with an entirely different scenario in mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just experienced something rare and extremely special. Reno was half-tempted to call one of the other Turks to see if it was usual fare to get a call from Rufus the day before, but decided not to. He kinda wanted to keep it quiet what had just transpired. Rufus would probably want it that way.

XxXxX

Rufus was getting prepared for the journey ahead, packing a small duffel bag of clothes and weapons. Not wanting to be bogged down by garment bags, Rufus opted for more casual clothing as his changes. Anyway, it would probably be wise to not be immediately recognizable for who he was. In a small health pack, he added several different types of potions and some phoenix down just in case. In the morning, he'd stop by his office to pick up a few materia he had locked up there.

Rufus felt strange. He was both anxious and excited. Naturally, he disliked going anywhere that was a hotbed of hostility toward the company, but he was terribly excited about meeting Reno. He felt almost sick from the inner conflict.

Trying to calm his racing thoughts he went to his home office and got on the computer. Using his father's login name and password, Rufus perused the database for recent military directives and frowned as he found that Sephiroth was being assigned to a mission in Nibelheim. That seemed like a bad plan to Rufus, considering Sephiroth's origins in that town.

He shook his head, wondering what his father was thinking. If he wanted, Rufus could quietly pull some strings to get a couple Turks to secure the Shinra mansion, but Rufus decided that it might be more amusing to watch the fallout.

There were a number of other operations happening as well. Rufus felt disgust as he skimmed the highlights. It was too much, far too much. He thought the old man must surely be going mad.

Perhaps this was all related to his obsession with the Promised Land. Every year he grew more and more fixated with finding it. Of course...he was getting old, and wanted to leave a legacy on this world. Maybe he was trying to make sure Rufus would never forget whose hands shaped the company into what it was today.

Rufus logged off the server with a soft snarl curling his mouth. How he longed for one of Shinra's enemies to get just one good hit in. A single well-placed bullet and he'd be in charge and finally able to clean up the filth corrupting his birthright.

Vice-presidency couldn't make enough of an impact, so he quietly took on other duties that his father took little notice. If he couldn't kill the man, Rufus would do the next best thing. He'd succeed brilliantly, and he'd make damn sure people knew that he believed his father's competence to be slipping. In the meantime, he'd continue to control Junon with such efficiency as to create a model of the future.


	3. Chapter 3

~III~

An hour before Reno was supposed to show up he heard a knock on his office door. Rufus swore softly, wondering who the hell that good-for-nothing secretary had cleared without his approval. He crossed the spacious office, his strides quick and forceful. Scathing words were on his tongue as he wrenched open the door.

"Who the hell do you think-?"

Reno stood on the other side of the doorway, appearing calm and faintly amused. A slow, sly grin curved his lips as he tilted his head slightly.

"Sorry to intrude but I figured you were expecting me," Reno drawled.

Rufus blinked a couple times, more than just a little surprised. He hadn't expected him to show up early. Though it hadn't been noted in his file, Rufus had imagined him to be the type to run late. This was a pleasant surprise indeed.

"Of course," Rufus gestured for him to step inside, "Make yourself comfortable, I was just finishing up some work."

"No problem," Reno shrugged as he followed Rufus into the office and sat down in a chair across from his desk. "You mind if I smoke?"

"Let me call Eliza in for an ashtray. I don't keep one in my office," Rufus replied. He pressed a button on his phone and spoke to her briefly on intercom. As usual she seemed nervously eager to please. She had a crush on Rufus, like many of the female employees he interacted with daily. He suppose he should have been flattered, but he could only feel annoyance.

A few moments later, the girl entered with a small, pristine glass ashtray and placed it on Rufus's desk.

"Much obliged," Reno grinned at her as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

She blushed, Rufus's eyes narrowed, and he dismissed her with the request that he didn't wish to be disturbed.

"She's cute," Reno remarked after she was gone.

"I suppose. She's not really my type," Rufus shrugged as he finished e-mailing the team of managers that would be in charge while he was gone.

"Ya don't like brunettes?" Reno asked.

Rufus looked at him, saw him slumped casually in the chair with a cigarette burning between his fingers. Yet his bright blue eyes were alert and curious.

"Something like that," Rufus replied carefully before adding with as much casualness as he could muster, "She's single, if you're interested."

"Nah, I prefer blondes."

Reno held his gaze meaningfully, and Rufus smiled at what had just transpired. "While I'm not complaining, what _are_you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the mission. How are we going about this? Will you be wanting me to protect you as a bodyguard or act as backup?"

Rufus arched his eyebrows. He must have found out about the Turk training. "I think it's best they underestimate me."

"How much will they be underestimating, anyway?"

"Quite a bit," Rufus smirked.

Reno chuckled and put out his cigarette. "Man, I hope the rumours are true," he sighed, "I've been itching for some excitement."

"Well, I'm sure there'll be some excitement to be had even if there are no attempts on my life."

Reno narrowed his eyes and grinned wickedly, "Oh yeah? I hope so."

Rufus powered down his computer, greatly enjoying the interaction. Too frequently people fell over themselves trying to be formal or kiss his ass. It was nice to be spoken to like a human fucking being and not just the president's son.

"Have you ever been to Wutai?" Rufus asked as he took his duffle bag out from under the desk. He unzipped it and double-checked that he had everything.

"Nah, they've mostly kept me local since I know the slums so well. There've been problems below the plate," Reno explained with a shrug.

"What sorts of problems?" Rufus asked, scowling slightly. This was the first he'd heard of problems in Shinra's crown jewel.

"Talk of an uprising against the company mostly," Reno replied, "Honestly, I think it's a bunch of bullshit. What your father don't understand is that the slums have been a hotbed of anti-Shinra for years. As long as I've been alive anyway. Just this time...it seems pretty serious."

"Do you think it will become something we can't handle?" Rufus asked a little sharply.

Reno laughed and Rufus could detect a nasty touch to it. "Doncha mean, 'will it become something Sephiroth can't handle'?"

Rufus sighed softly. Many Turks expressed a measure of distaste toward Sephiroth. He didn't really blame them. "No Reno, I want to know if the Turks consider them a serious threat to the company,"

"Eh, it's an even split. I don't know. Maybe if things go well in Wutai, shit will calm down for awhile."

Rufus nodded idly, silently agreeing with him, but thinking of Sephiroth and Nibelheim. He had a feeling if that mission went south, terrorist groups would be the least of their problems.

XxXxX

Much to Reno's amazement, Rufus had spent most of the trip to Rocket Town sleeping. He supposed he shouldn't have been terribly surprised; no doubt he was used to traveling by helicopter, but even Reno couldn't completely ignore the noise of the propeller blades and certainly didn't find it soothing.

They were only stopping to refuel and decided to spend the downtime at the local pub. Reno was a little surprised that Rufus would agree to such a thing, but took it in stride.

"I don't even think this joint has wine," Reno told him as they secured a table near the door.

"That's fine. You can order me a beer," Rufus shrugged as he sat down. "Do you need any money?"

"No, I'm good," Reno replied. He always withdrew a bit of gil for mission expenses that he didn't feel comfortable charging on the company credit card (or for the rare establishments that didn't take credit).

He ordered Rufus a beer, the best that they had, which really wasn't very good, and a caught a glare from the bartender when he ordered a water. The man didn't say a thing, though. The suit garnered fear and respect in the strangest ways sometimes. He put down some extra gil for the water anyway, just so he didn't come off as a complete dick.

Back at their table, Rufus sipped his beer and Reno was secretly impressed when he didn't make a face. He noticed the faint sheen of saliva and beer that pull off the bottle had left behind. God the man had a gorgeous mouth...

"Your tattoos are...fascinating," Rufus told him.

"Huh?" Reno raised his eyebrows as he searched for the mocking look that he'd come to expect when it came to Shinra executives and his slightly garish facial tattoos. Strangely it wasn't there and Reno realized that Rufus had complimented him. "Thanks," He replied.

"Do they mean anything?" Rufus asked.

Usually Reno told people they were gang tattoos that he'd acquired while involved with Wall Market's organized crime families. It was a bit more complicated than that. "I got them to make sure I blended in with the street toughs of the slums," Reno replied.

"Tattoos are that important to your image down there?"

Reno sighed softly, a bit embarrassed by his childish excuse for the tattoos' placement. "Not exactly. I was trying to fuck up my face."

Rufus frowned, "I'm afraid you failed in that endevour."

Reno chuckled, "No shit, but it helped."

Rufus nodded slowly; his eyes reflected a strange kind of hunger. There was something like lust in his expression. "You know I still don't quite understand why you wanted to become a Turk. Due to their presence below plate, I'd think you'd have resented them."

"Lotta folks do, but I never did. Maybe their methods were harsh, but their presence in the slums made it a little safer," Reno shrugged.

"So you wanted to help clean up crime below the plate?" Rufus frowned slightly.

"Not really. I just knew that's what I wanted to be from the moment I learned what the Turks did for the company," Reno explained. "I didn't want to rot behind the counter of a general store or become a victim of the streets. My mom couldn't afford to send me to the military academy, so I had to think of another way."

"How old were you when you began unfolding this ambition?" Rufus asked, seemingly rapt.

"Fourteen or so," Reno replied and fixed Rufus with a calculating eye. "What about you?"

"Pardon?"

"When did you start training as a Turk?" Reno asked quietly.

"Thirteen, once Tseng thought I could handle the recoil of a revolver," Rufus met his eyes steadily. There was definitely a heavy, almost seductive quality to his gaze.

Reno's stomach squirmed with anxious desire. He wanted to seduce Rufus or be seduced by him, Reno really didn't care which. It disturbed him faintly and he wondered how much trouble he'd get into if he started up with Rufus. There was nothing against Shinra employees dating, but Reno was quite sure getting involved with Rufus would be considered taking the concept a bit too far. Of course he was all too aware that he had little desire to deter any advances Rufus might make.

"Whose idea was it?" Reno asked, trying to stay cool even though all he could think of was how this little crush of his was starting to get the better of him.

"Mine," Rufus told him rather blandly, "There was no reason why I should be helpless. Status and money means nothing when you're staring down the barrel of a gun."

"Too true," Reno murmured, surprised by his insight.

They fell into a comfortable silence and Reno silently marveled over the man. He could see how people could be unnerved by him, but on a whole Reno thought he was was alluring in his intensity. He was driven and Reno had always found ambition rather attractive.

"You're not as big an asshole as everyone claims," Reno told him, taking a gamble on Rufus's asofar positive reaction to blunt honesty.

Rufus laughed, "I'm glad you think so."

Knowing that he could make Rufus laugh like that made Reno feel curiously giddy. Rufus looked like someone who didn't smile enough.

"I like you, Reno," Rufus told him, his tone carefully measured. Reno was getting the picture that Rufus wasn't exactly used to speaking directly with people.

He wasn't sure quite how to answer that other than 'I like you, too.' So he reached across the table as casually as he could and squeezed Rufus's hand. He expressed acceptance without words and hoped it spoke the volumes he wanted to convey.


	4. Chapter 4

_Warning: In case you hadn't figured it out from previous chapters, I do intend the boys to be well on their way to being a couple by the end of this fic. This chapter contains some intimate contact between them. If you are bothered by such things, turn back now!  
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><strong>~IV~<strong>

Reno watched as he put on the shoulder holster with practiced ease and settle his weapon, a heavy looking pistol. He'd heard many people try to apply armchair psychology to the reason why Rufus Shinra wore multiple layers of clothes. Reno had a feeling it was for no other reason than gun holsters begin to chafe after being worn for awhile.

A dry wind tousled his red hair and he closed his eyes. The air was clean and fragrant. Having grown up in a big city, surrounded by all its myriad sights, sounds, and pollutions, Reno generally found the wilderness to be strange and little unnerving. He didn't trust the quiet, even if he could sometimes enjoy it.

Reno watched Rufus rearrange his clothing with great care to hide his sidearm. He tapped his EMR against one shoulder, a somewhat anxious habit. Reno wasn't nervous; he was itching for action.

Finally, Rufus seemed to be satisfied, zipped up his duffel bag, and dragged it out of the back of the helicopter. Together they closed it up and paused to look around in order to get their bearings.

The village was visible in the distance, the only thing left of the nation of Wutai. It had once been the capital city, but now it wasn't much of anything. The royal family still lived there, Godo and a young daughter, if memory served Reno correctly.

"What exactly are we doing in this godforsaken place, Rufus?" Reno asked.

He smirked faintly, though the expression was somewhat cruel. "Giving these people something to live for. My father may have made them defenseless, I want to give them a reason never to go against the company ever again."

Reno favored him with a faintly amused expression. "Meaning...?"

"I want to bring them company business," Rufus shrugged as he lead the way down the low plateau Reno had landed on. "Think of it. Though it's true many of our executives and shareholders vacation in Costa del Sol, even they complain of being bored with it."

"Right," Reno drawled, "Because there's nothing worse than being trapped in paradise."

"I never said I agreed with it. Personally I find most of Shinra's management to be incompetent and lazy at best. They should be grateful for their time off rather than complaining about the lack of good vacation spots. Anyway, Wutai is beautiful it its own savage way. As I understand this village is quite charming. I will offer to make sure it gets marketed as a resort town, primarily for the affluent and of course Shinra's upper management."

"Wow,"Reno murmured. The suggestion was ballsy and just the slightest bit sadistic. Yet he could understand why Rufus thought to put it forth. With Shinra controlling so much of the public's opinion, Wutai would be considered poison by most traders and dangerous by civilians. No country could survive on its own and without some contact with the outside world, Wutai was finished.

Reno took a good long look at the man by his side. He wasn't that much older than Reno, only a couple years, but already he was a force to be reckoned with. He spoke like a business man but thought like a king, perhaps even a tyrant, if the rumours were true about his radical ideas on how the company should be run.

"Reno," Rufus spoke his name suddenly, somewhat sharply.

"Hm?" Reno intoned lazily.

"Do watch your step," Rufus replied having halted. He was reaching into his coat.

Reno looked down to see that he was about the step on the biggest, ugliest bug he'd ever seen. He swore, jumped back, and immediately delivered a swift dose of electricity to it with his EMR. Unfortunately, it was on too low of a setting to kill it, in fact it only seemed to get pissed off. As it took to the air it blasted them with a toxic mist. Reno looked back at Rufus to find him aiming his revolver at the creature. He didn't seem very fazed by the poison; he was probably warded against it. Reno, however, was not and dropped to his knees briefly to vomit while Rufus shot the bug out of the sky.

Reno recovered somewhat and angrily switched his EMR onto its highest setting. With a snarl, he zapped the monstrous insect for good measure before dropping down beside the carcass. The poison was fast acting and he hoped Rufus had thought to bring medicine. Recovery supplies and magic were usually Rude's thing because Reno almost always forgot.

Rufus calmly removed a small travel pack from his duffel bag and handed Reno a small vial of antidote. Reno winced as he swallowed it down, slightly sickened by its horrible taste and a vague sense of embarrassment for having pretty much dropped the ball there.

"Don't worry," Rufus told him quietly, "It happens to the best of us."

Reno smiled at him wryly, "Let's just keep this between you an' me then. I'd never hear the end of it otherwise."

Rufus chuckled softly and handed him a bottle of water as well, no doubt anticipating what was coming. Reno threw up again, this time due to the antidote reacting and violently expelling the toxin. Afterward, he chugged half the bottle of water and used some of the remaining amount to rinse the bile out of his mouth. He made a mental note to brush his teeth when he was settled into some kind of hotel room or sleeping quarters.

"Are you ready to continue?" Rufus asked patiently.

Reno nodded, surprised and relieved that Rufus hadn't expressed anger or distaste at his misstep. He got up and they continued to the village without another incident.

They met them at the first walking bridge near the gates of the city. The woman introduced herself as Kunie and her male companion as Gengyo. They were ambassadors to Godo and had been sent to make sure they were comfortably settled for the evening.

Reno had been strangely silent during the exchange, but a quick glance at him and Rufus realized that he was casually sizing the two up while he lit a cigarette. Once more his posture did not match his eyes. His lanky frame slouched insolently but his eyes looked over the two diplomatic representatives with great interest.

They were taken to a bar and lead to the back where there was a small flight of stairs. Rufus was faintly annoyed as he followed Kunie and Gengyo down the rather drab hallway. This would be changed once Godo agreed to his conditions. While his taste wasn't as garish as his father's, he certainly thought something more could be done to the walls.

"We have assigned you to adjoined rooms," Kunie told Rufus softly. "I hope this is acceptable."

"It's fine," Rufus replied. "You understand my bodyguard will be doing a sweep of both rooms."

"Of course, we have nothing to hide," Gengyo replied. His eyes were strangely cold.

After Kunie opened up the rooms, Reno pocketed the keys and disappeared into one of them. Rufus waited patiently, hearing small sounds as Reno searched for bugs, trap doors, and any other possible threat. He doubted it was a real concern. Since outlawing materia, the country's technology had diminished greatly.

After a few moments, Reno returned out the other door having used the adjoining door to access the second room. "It's clean," he drawled.

"Excellent," Rufus spoke to Kunie and Gengyo, "I was informed that Godo will be speaking with me in the morning. Is this still the case?"

"Yes," Kunie replied, "I'm afraid we don't have many active phone lines. Should you need anything, please speak to the bartender downstairs. He has been instructed to take care of our guests to the best of his ability."

"Thank you," Rufus frowned. He checked his cell phone and noticed there were no bars displayed on the small screen. With a small, disgusted sigh he snapped it shut, angry at himself for not considering this problem.

"We are not savages, Mr. Shinra," Gengyo smiled briefly but it did not meet his eyes. "Lord Godo merely puts limits on communication to the outside. Right now it is an expense that would burden our country more than aid in its recovery."

"I understand," Rufus nodded, slightly concerned nonetheless. He decided to proceed under the impression that they were completely cut off and that calling for backup was not an option.

"Good," Kunie replied, "We will come in the morning to take you to see his lordship. Expect Gengyo or myself around nine."

They left and Reno lingered in the hallway for a few minutes before following Rufus inside. He closed and locked the door behind them, taking great care that the deadbolt was secure.

As Rufus unpacked he addressed Reno. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Something seemed off about them, but I could just be bein' paranoid, yo," Reno replied.

"Agreed," Rufus nodded approvingly, "Better paranoid than dead."

Reno chuckled, "Couldn't have said it better. I'm gonna go wash up, if that's okay."

"Of course. You're off duty for the rest of the night."

Reno flashed him a grin. "That's cool, but maybe we should stick close. You want to meet me downstairs in a couple hours? Have some drinks?"

Rufus smirked, "It's a date."

Reno's grin got a little wider as Rufus held his gaze. The silence between them turned thick with tension as business took a temporary backseat toward burgeoning lust. When Reno turned to leave, Rufus was quite sure his lanky gait held a bit more swagger than usual.

XxXxX

Reno stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fixing his hair as best he could. Usually he didn't give a shit but tonight was a bit different. It was shaggy, at that weird length that couldn't be called long but nor could it be called short either. At least on a man, anyway. Everyone thought he was growing his hair out; the truth was he had just been too busy since becoming a Turk to bother with finding a barber. Eventually he figured he'd just let it go and see how he'd look with long hair.

He put some gel in it, mussed it up, and went to finish getting dressed. Despite the fact that he was "off duty" and his time with Rufus would be considered personal, Reno slid on a light shoulder holster (cloth rather than Rufus's leather) and armed himself with a small automatic pistol. No one was going to catch him completely off guard.

Having never lived outside of a metropolis, Reno found the quiet of Wutai unnerving. There were no automobile sounds, no street lights, or people noise. If he walked outside he wasn't risking getting mugged or being prepositioned by a prostitute. There was only danger because of what he represented, not as an individual.

He kind of hated it. It put his teeth on edge. So much so that he startled when there was a knock on the door adjoining his room to Rufus's.

He quickly answered it as he pulled on his jacket and was greeted by a very mischievously smiling Rufus. The expression was a good one on him. Reno stepped back to allow Rufus to enter his room, his mouth curving into a faintly satisfied smirk. He knew the score from the glitter of lust in Rufus's pale eyes.

"Aren't we meeting downstairs?" Reno teased.

"In a moment," Rufus murmured.

Reno's lips parted softly as Rufus's fingers slid along the back of his neck and his mouth closed over his. It was the most sensual first kiss he'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Rufus kissed him slowly, almost languidly. Desire made his head swim and Reno wrapped an arm around Rufus's waist to pull him closer.

Their lips parted entirely too soon for Reno's taste. Rufus stroked his cheek lightly, fingers moving over one of his tattoos. Though Reno would have preferred them to be halfway to his bed, hands seeking skin under clothing, this was nice too. In a way, it was better. He kissed him again, deeper this time, and Reno felt his knees get a little watery as Rufus's tongue slipped into his mouth. At that moment Reno decided he didn't give a shit about the consequences of taking up with the boss's son. He wanted more of this; he wanted to take this to its inevitable conclusion, hopefully involving his legs wrapped around Rufus's waist while the man fucked him senseless.

Rufus eventually released him once more and chuckled warmly. He rubbed Reno's back gently as he smiled.

"Patience," Rufus teased him softly before stepping out of Reno's loose embrace. "I'll see you downstairs."

Reno watched him go before closing the door behind him. He sat down on the edge of his bed, breathing deeply as he sought to get control of his raging desire. Reno stretched out languidly, grinning like a fool. He felt a lot more relaxed and ready to face whatever Wutai had to offer.


End file.
